Researchers analyzed the privacy settings of Apple’s default applications. They concluded that settings are often unclear, confusing and poorly documented, and that in practice users don’t really know what Apple really stores about them.

Apple emphasizes user privacy as one of its biggest advantages compared to the competition and also uses the argument to keep its own ecosystem as closed as possible. Finally, third-party apps could endanger customers’ data while Apple presents itself as a reliable protector of the data.

Research from Aalto University in Finland shows a reality that contradicts such claims. Researchers at this university examined the way Apple processes user data in eight standard apps. They also examined how users can customize settings and the extent to which data usage is well documented. The bottom line: The settings are confusing, actions don’t always have the expected results, and the documentation is not only confusing but also incomplete. A qualitative sample also showed that users are surprised by what Apple does with their data.

Navigate through menus

First of all, there are the standard applications. It remains very difficult to turn it off completely. Anyone who thanks Siri while installing their device probably doesn’t know that the app continues to collect data in the background. To completely disable data collection for Siri, researchers have found that you need to dig into five different Settings submenus.

If you’re trying to figure out how to fully control privacy settings, you’ll be disappointed. According to the researchers, the documentation is difficult to find and is also incomplete.

With Safari in particular, users were surprised that the default settings allowed their data to be shared with Apple. This includes topics they find interesting, search queries and location. The researchers found that the actual transparency about this leaves a lot to be desired.

It’s also not clear what exactly Apple does with the data it collects. When certain settings are adjusted, it is difficult to see the exact impact. Overall, respondents found navigating the privacy settings to be complex.

Not transparent

Overall, the study somewhat undermines the perception of Apple as a data protection expert. Please note: The researchers are not claiming that Apple is secretly misusing data. The problem lies in the lack of transparency and unclear framework conditions, which make it difficult for users to adapt the settings to their wishes. The fact that Apple customers are surprised by an app’s behavior after adjusting a default setting illustrates this point.

The investigation comes at a difficult time for Apple, which is facing major antitrust lawsuits. The company’s data protection expertise is always one of the main arguments for maintaining the closed ecosystem and is intended to compensate for the reduced competitive opportunities of third parties. The Finnish paper now emphasizes that Apple’s privacy policies are nowhere near as transparent and user-friendly as the manufacturer would like to portray.